Earths Resources - Geosphere

Question 1

weathering

rock cycle processes

Answer 1

the exposure and breaking down of rocks in situ at the Earth’s surface over geological time due to interaction with the atmosphere.

Question 2

transportation

rock cycle processes

Answer 2

the movement of rock fragments by water, wind, ice or gravity from the place where they were originally weathered.

Question 3

erosion

rock cycle processes

Answer 3

the breaking down of rock fragments into smaller pieces and sediments due to collision with other rock fragments during transportation.

Question 4

deposition

rock cycle processes

Answer 4

the setting out of rock fragments and sediments after transportation by water, wind, ice or gravity.

Question 5

rock

Answer 5

a solid mass made of one or more materials

Question 6

mineral

Answer 6

an element or chemical compound formed as a result of rock cycle processes

Question 7

ore

Answer 7

a naturally occurring solid material from which a metal or valuable mineral can be extracted profitably

Question 8

porosity

Answer 8

a measure of a rock’s ability to hold fluid

Question 9

permeability

Answer 9

a measure of the amount of water allowed to pass through a rock

Question 10

chemical weathering

Answer 10

the dissolving or disintegration of racks by weak acids e.g. acid rain
(usually small holes/dimples in the rock)

Question 11

biological weathering

Answer 11

disintegration of rocks by the action of living organisms e.g. plant roots or animal burrowing

Question 12

physical weathering

Answer 12

weakening of rocks by abrasion, frost shattering or temperature changes

Question 13

hydraulic action

Answer 13

when the sheer force of the water gets into the small cracks and breaks down the rock

rivers/sea

Question 14

abrasion/corrosion

Answer 14

when the load hits against the river bed or banks or sea cliff, ice scrapes across the landscape, wearing away the rock

Question 15

attrition

Answer 15

when the load repeatedly knocks into each other and causes the rock to break

rivers/sea

Question 16

corrosion

Answer 16

water dissolves minerals from rocks and washes them away OR weak acids in the water dissolve the rock

rivers/sea

Question 17

igneous rocks

Answer 17

volcanic rocks which form from molten rock under the earths crust

basalt, granite, pumice

Question 18

sedimentary rocks

Answer 18

fromed from sediments which have settled below a body of water, and have been compressed over millions of years

sandstone, limestone, chalk, clay, coal and oil (fossil fuels)

Question 19

metamorphic rocks

Answer 19

rocks formed by being subjeted to tremendous heat and pressure

marble (limestone), slate (clay), schist (sandstone or shale)

Question 20

intrusive

igneous rock

Answer 20

magma cools slowly underground

Question 21

extrusive

igneous rock

Answer 21

lava cools quickly on the surface

Question 22

limestone

formation

Answer 22

• remains of coral and sea life - which contain calcium carbonate (CaCO3) - are laid down at the bottom of tropical seas (during Carboniferous period, 300 million years ago)
• precipitation reaction occurs forming precipitate
• precipitate and sediments are compressed over millions of years to form limestone

Question 23

limestone

uses

Answer 23

• Building material
• Production of cement by heating powdered limestone with clay
• Toothpaste
• Food additive
• Neutralise acidic soil
• Removes impurities from blast furnace when making iron

Question 24

limestone

environmental impacts (extraction)

Answer 24

• noise pollution - extraction can be loud scaring farm animals and be frustrating for locals
• air pollution - dust from explosions can damage nearby crops and cause (respiritory) health risks for the human population
• water pollution - dust and debris is washed into rivers and streams
• visual pollution - quarries ruin the scenery
• heavy lorries - cause traffic congestion and potholes when transporting the limestone

Question 25

crude oil

formation

Answer 25

formed from the remains of small animals and plants that died and fell to the seafloor millions of years ago. These remains were then compressed and heated within the Earth’s crust to form oil

Question 26

crude oil

processing

Answer 26

• fractional distillation is used to separate the different fractions of the oil
• each fraction has a different boiling point which allows them to be separated from each other in a distillation collumn

Question 27

crude oil

uses

Answer 27

• fuels (deisel, petrol, kerosine)
• plastics
• medicines
• cosmetics

Question 28

crude oil

environmental impacts (extraction, processing, & uses)

Answer 28

• ecosystem loss & terrestrial deforestation - oil drilling disturbs terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, seismic techniques can impact marine life, drilling on land can require the destruction of vegetation
• water pollution - oil leaks/spills contaminate water effecting drinking supply, irrigation, marine life etc.
• soil pollution - oil spills can contaminate soil and kill vegetation and crops
• air pollution - burning fuels releases particulate matter which contributes to greenhouse effect

Question 29

iron

formation

Answer 29

• algae-like bacteria photosnthesised releasing oxygen
• oxygen reacts with dissolved iron in the water to form hydroxides and iron oxides
• these insoluble materials settle on the sea bed
• iron rich sediments are moved and changed by crustal plates to form magnetite and haematite deposites

Question 30

iron

processing

Answer 30

• iron is extracted from its ore in a blast furnace at high temperatures (1800ºC) in a series of reduction reactions
• carbon (coke) is more reactive than the iron, removing the oxygen from the iron oxide
• limestone is used to ‘soak up’ impurities producing a waste product called slag

Question 31

iron

environmental impacts (extraction & processing)

Answer 31

• air pollution - harmful gases (N2O, CO2, CO, SO2) are released in extraction and processing
• water pollution - during extraction dirt and debris contaminates nearby water
• deforestation, habitat destruction, soil erosion - trees cleared for extraction